History
The organization was created in the year 1985 by dedicated Hispanic lawyers who overcame great odds to become successful in the law industry. They want to become role models to their fellow Latinos who dream of becoming attorneys too. This group started out small but continuously grew throughout the years and became a recognized national organization that offers scholarships, fellowships, conferences, resources and other support programs. It is their goal to help and inspire their fellow Hispanics to achieve academically especially in the field of law.
The Hispanic National Bar Foundation strongly believes that knowledge and diversity can help the communities. As the number of Latinos increases in the United States, the success of their youth in education becomes more important. The organization acknowledges that the Hispanics still suffer from lack of opportunities, information, financial support and other related issues while living in the U.S. This is why they act upon these concerns as the voice of their affected communities to achieve progress and improvement for their native group. Until today, the members of HNBF work on programs that will address the needs of Hispanic students and provide equal education opportunities – just as the founders had envisioned when they created the group.
Mission
The group’s mission statement is simple and clear – they want to help their fellow Latinos reach their potential through obtaining higher education and add to the diversity of legal professions. They want to establish in the Hispanic culture that achieving a higher education is an expectation and not an exception.
Future Latino Leaders Law Camp
The HNBF in Washington D.C. runs this program which lasts for 9 days in the goal of providing chosen Latino high school students the chance to learn more about the field. This law camp was established in 2005 to offer students the opportunity to come to D.C. and get to know more about college applications, meet influential leaders for support and tour different places like government agencies.
The law camp is free of charge but there is a non-refundable application fee of $50 and those who would like to join are responsible in arranging their transportation to and from Washington. They also offer scholarships depending on the financial need of the applicant/student. The organization is dedicated to helping the accepted applicants and their families to ensure that they can attend the camp and its related activities. This is one of the best opportunities that any aspiring law student should not miss.